Piping body having an RFID tag

ABSTRACT

A tubular has a central axis and includes a first end, a second end, and a radially outer surface extending axially from the first end to the second end. In addition, the tubular includes a first end section at the first end, a second end section at the second end, and a mid-section extending axially from the first end section to the second end section. The first end section includes a first threaded portion and the second end section includes a second threaded portion. Further, the tubular includes an elongate recess extending radially inward from the radially outer surface. The elongate linear recess is positioned along the mid-section axially between the first threaded portion and the second threaded portion. The elongate linear recess has a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to the central axis of the tubular. The tubular also includes an elongate RFID tag seated in the elongate recess.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/509,819 filed Mar. 8, 2017, which is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 national stageapplication of PCT/NO2015/050177 filed Sep. 30, 2015. This applicationalso claims priority to said PCT/NO2015/050177 and to NorwegianApplication No. 20141198 filed Oct. 7, 2014. Each of the foregoingapplications is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety forall purposes.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to piping or tubular structures, for use in an oilor gas environment, wherein the piping is provided with an RFID tag foridentification purposes.

During drilling operations, for example as it is common in connectionwith the recovery of petroleum, a relatively great number of pipes areused, the pipes being screwed together into a pipe string. The pipestring may also include other equipment, for example controls and valvesections. A well of this kind is normally lined with casing in order tosecure the borehole.

In order to keep track of the number of pieces of equipment and theirphysical condition, it has turned out to be useful to monitor theservice time and stresses of the individual pipes and associatedequipment, and also to keep track of the number and where the individualpipe is located in the pipe string.

It is known for an electronic ID tag to be placed on the pipe orequipment, which is read manually by means of matched equipment when thepipe is run into the well and when it is pulled from the well. U.S. Pat.No. 5,142,128 thus discloses an apparatus for identifying equipmentrelated to the recovery of oil, which is also arranged to keep track ofthe service time of the equipment. The document describes a hand-heldreading device for electronic ID tags.

Electronic ID tags of the kind concerned here, are mounted on theoutside of the pipes near the connecting means of the pipes. Thereby,the ID tags can be read when passing an antenna. This positioningentails that the ID tags are subjected to wear during the moving of thepipe in the borehole and to damage from, for example, power tongs duringmake-up and break-out operations. It has also turned out that theattachment of the ID tags in the pipes is adversely affected byrelatively large pressure variations in the well.

Equipment according to the prior art exhibits drawbacks related toapplicability and/or reliability, as, among other things, the range ofsignals from the ID tags is relatively small, the ID tags are subjectedto wear and may be damaged during the assembling of the pipes.

WO2006/041306A1, which is from a patent family owned by the applicant,discloses an RFID system that is provided on a pipe segment foridentification purposes. WO2006/041306A1 is incorporated by reference inits entirety. In this specification, conventional RFID technology assuch is considered to be well known and will therefore not be furtherexplained. Various RFID tags having various dimensions are available onthe market. The current disclosure does not aim to improve upon thosetags as such, nor upon the system for reading such RFID tags whenprovided on a piping or tubing.

SUMMARY

The embodiments disclosed herein are provided in an attempt to remedy orto reduce at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art, or at leastprovide a useful alternative to prior art. These embodiments arespecified in the description below and in the claims that follow.

In an embodiment, piping for use in an oil or gas environment isprovided with an RFID tag for identifying said piping. Said pipingcomprises a first end section for being coupled to a second piping and asecond end section, wherein said piping further comprises a mid-sectionin between said end sections. The RFID tag is provided in an elongaterecess that is formed in the piping and wherein said recess extends in atangential direction parallel to a surface of the mid-section of thepiping.

The effects of the combination of the features described herein includethe following. By providing the RFID tag in a recess, which extends in atangential direction parallel to the surface of the mid-section of thepiping, it is achieved that the strength of the piping is hardlyaffected by the trench. In contrast with this, certain prior artsolutions include the provision of a recess which extends orthogonal tosaid surface, which inherently reduces the strength of the piping, andthereby puts severe limitations on the feasibility of applying a tag toa piping.

In an embodiment, the recess has been formed as a shallow elongaterecess. Making a shallow elongate recess, meaning that the recess iselongate in a direction parallel to a surface in which it is made, hasthe advantage that the integrity and strength of the piping is preservedas much as possible, in case the RFID tag is positioned at an outersurface of the piping.

In an embodiment, the recess has been formed in a threaded section in atleast one of said end sections. When it comes down to making a recess inthe threaded section, there are two advantageous options. The firstoption is to form the recess in a thread crest. The second option isform the recess in between respective thread crests.

In an embodiment, the recess has been formed in the mid-section of thepiping. Of all embodiments, this one is the most counter-intuitive.Expressed differently, there is a general prejudice in the field not totamper with the mid-section of a piping. The inventors are the first torealize and establish that this still can be done without reducing theintegrity and strength of the piping to dangerous levels. This isparticularly so, because the inventors have chosen for a shallow recess,which is elongate in a direction parallel to the surface, wherein therecess is made. Elongate and thin RFID tags suitable for this embodimentare available on the market.

In an embodiment, the recess has been formed as a hole in a rim of saidpiping, wherein the hole extends in a tangential direction parallel tothe surface of the mid-section of the piping. This embodimentsurprisingly results in a minimum reduction in the integrity andstrength of the piping.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a connection of two pipings for use in the oil or gasindustry;

FIGS. 2a-2c illustrate a first embodiment of a piping in accordance withprinciples described herein;

FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate a second embodiment of a piping in accordancewith principles described herein;

FIG. 4a illustrates the possibility of a possible further embodiment inaccordance with principles described herein;

FIG. 4b shows an enlarged view of FIG. 4 a;

FIG. 4c shows an enlarged view of FIG. 4 b;

FIG. 5a illustrates a third embodiment of a piping in accordance withprinciples described herein, and

FIG. 5b shows an enlarged view of FIG. 5 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments discussed above and described hereinafter illustraterather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art willbe able to design many alternative embodiments without departing fromthe scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signsplaced between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.Use of the verb “comprise” and its conjugations does not exclude thepresence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. Thearticle “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presenceof a plurality of such elements. The embodiments disclosed herein may beimplemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements.In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these meansmay be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact thatcertain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims doesnot indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used toadvantage.

FIG. 1 shows a connection of two pipings for use in the oil or gasindustry. The figure shows a first piping 10 that is connected with asecond or further piping 10′. In this embodiment this is done by meansof a separate coupling joint 20. However, the coupling joint 20 may alsobe integrated with one of said pipings 10, 10′. In this embodiment thefirst piping 10 has a mid-section 10-1 and two end sections 10-2 (ofwhich only one is visible). Likewise, the second piping 10′ has amid-section 10′-1 and two end sections 10′-2. The respective endsections 10-2 of the first piping 10 have threaded portions 11, whichare matching with threaded portions in said coupling joint 20. Likewise,the respective end sections 10′-2 of the second piping 10′ have threadedportions 11′, which are matching with threaded portions in said couplingjoint 20.

It must be noted that in the example of FIG. 1 the pipings have two maleend portions, while the coupling joint has two female end portions.However, the principles disclosed herein are applicable also tomale-female configurations without separate coupling joints, or pipingswith two female ends with male coupling joints.

FIGS. 2a-2c illustrate a first embodiment of a piping in accordance withprinciples disclosed herein. In this embodiment a shallow elongaterecess 50 (FIG. 2b ) is formed which is elongated in a tangentialdirection DT with regards to an outer surface S of the mid-section ofthe piping 10 as illustrated in FIG. 2 c. An RFID tag 99 is provided inthe recess 50 as also illustrated in FIG. 2 c. The RFID tag 99 can bemounted in the recess 50 in various ways, for instance by moulding orgluing. Alternatively, the mounting can be done in a mechanical wayusing threads, slots and the like. It is considered to fall within thenormal expertise of a person skilled in the art how to mount or fix theRFID tag in the recess, such that it remains there in operational use ofthe piping.

FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate a second embodiment of a piping in accordancewith principles disclosed herein. In this embodiment a shallow elongaterecess 50′ is formed in the end section 10-2 of the piping 10, moreparticularly in the threaded section 11 of the end section 10-2. Asmall-size RFID tag 99′ is placed in the shallow elongate recess 50′.When the RFID tag 99′ is placed in the threaded section 11 there is twoadvantageous options, which have been jointly illustrated in FIG. 3 c.The first option is to place the RFID tag 99′ in a recess 50′ in athread crest 11-1, and the second option is to place the RFID tag 99′ ina recess 50′ in between respective thread crests 11-1.

FIG. 4a illustrates the possibility of a possible further embodiment.The figure shows the same piping connection as FIG. 1. FIG. 4b shows anenlarged view of FIG. 4 a. FIG. 4c shows an enlarged view of FIG. 4 b.In FIG. 4c there is visible “natural cavities” 51 in between therespective threads of the coupling joint and the piping 10. Thesenatural cavities 51 are also suitable for placing an RFID tag. Thismeans that no cavity or a smaller cavity may be used to place the RFIDtag in. Expressed differently, the RFID tag may protrude a little bitfrom the threaded surface.

FIG. 5a illustrates a third embodiment of a piping in accordance withprinciples disclosed herein, and FIG. 5b shows an enlarged view of FIG.5 a. The main idea of this embodiment is to place the RFID tag 99″ in adeep elongate recess 50″ (or hole) in the rim of a piping 10 as bestillustrated in FIG. 5 b.

It must be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are not limitedonly to pipings that transport oil or gas. Such pipings may also bedrill string sections, risers, or pipings for transporting drillcuttings, water or other substances.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tubular for use in an oil or gas environment,the tubular having a central axis and comprising: a first end, a secondend opposite the first end, and a radially outer surface extendingaxially from the first end to the second end; a first end section at thefirst end, a second end section at the second end, and a mid-sectionextending axially from the first end section to the second end section,wherein the first end section includes a first threaded portion and thesecond end section includes a second threaded portion; an elongaterecess extending radially inward from the radially outer surface,wherein the elongate recess is positioned along the mid-section axiallybetween the first threaded portion and the second threaded portion,wherein the elongate recess has a longitudinal axis oriented parallel tothe central axis of the tubular; and an elongate RFID tag seated in theelongate recess and oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis.
 2. Thetubular of claim 1, wherein the elongate RFID tag is positioned radiallyproximal the radially outer surface of the tubular.
 3. The tubular ofclaim 1, wherein the elongate RFID tag has a first end positionedproximal a first end of the elongate recess and a second end positionedproximal a second end of the elongate recess.
 4. The tubular of claim 1,wherein the elongate recess extends linearly and the RFID tag extendslinearly within the elongate recess.
 5. The tubular of claim 1, whereinthe elongate recess is shallow.
 6. The tubular of claim 1, wherein theelongate RFID tag is secured within the elongate recess.
 7. The tubularof claim 6, wherein the elongate RFID tag is molded or glued in theelongate recess.
 8. The tubular of claim 1, wherein the elongate RFIDtag is positioned radially adjacent the radially outer surface of thetubular.
 9. A piping for use in an oil or gas environment, comprising:an elongate tubular member having a central axis, a threaded endsection, a non-threaded section axially adjacent to the threaded endsection, and a radially outer surface extending axially along thethreaded end section and the non-threaded section, wherein the radiallyouter surface comprises a cylindrical surface along the non-threadedsection and a thread along the threaded end section; an elongate recessextending radially inward from the cylindrical surface, wherein theelongate recess has a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to the centralaxis of the elongate tubular member; an RFID tag for identifying thetubular member retained in the elongate recess.
 10. The piping of claim9, wherein the RFID tag is radially adjacent the cylindrical surface.11. The piping of claim 9, wherein the RFID tag is elongate and orientedparallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate recess.
 12. The pipingof claim 9, wherein the elongate RFID tag has a first end positionedproximal a first end of the elongate recess and a second end positionedproximal a second end of the elongate recess.
 13. The piping of claim 9,wherein the elongate recess extends linearly and the RFID tag extendslinearly within the elongate recess.
 14. The piping of claim 9, whereinthe elongate recess is shallow.
 15. The piping of claim 9, wherein theelongate RFID tag is secured within the elongate recess.
 16. The pipingof claim 15, wherein the elongate RFID tag is molded or glued in theelongate recess.